Welcome to Duke Lung Transplant Friends
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Diane Detmer
Website designed, published and maintained by Diane Detmer
Contact Webmaster: dinki@charter.net
Diane Detmer
Website designed, published and maintained by Diane Detmer
Contact Webmaster: dinki@charter.net
Duke Lung Transplant Patient Guide Review
An Informal Discussion for Patients and Caregivers
Record Keeping
An Informal Discussion for Patients and Caregivers
Record Keeping
As you embark on the transplant process, record keeping can become a huge task. To help with this, you may wish to set up a portable, expandable file to store all of your transplant related information. If you have to relocate to Durham, it will be easy to take it with you. A more permanent portable file works well too, although more bulky. If you use the Duke Lung Transplant Patient Guide to write your initial information in the provided spaces, transfer any necessary information to a small notebook or Palm Pilot/similar device to carry with you to appointments to take notes and write questions. Keep your notebook handy to be able to jot down questions as they come up. Having important phone numbers, recent notes and questions you need to ask written down can be very helpful. The amount of information we have to manage can be overwhelming at times and important details may be difficult to remember.
Always remember: the only dumb questions are the ones you don’t ask. Many times we have questions in our minds that we really want to ask, but don't because we think they are silly, unimportant, or something we should already know. There are no dumb or unimportant questions. Your questions give you a better understanding of your situation and provide you with the information you need to have greater confidence in your decision to pursue a transplant. Your questions also help you develop a stronger relationship with the transplant team and other healthcare professionals who will take care of you during this process. This issue is addressed in the Duke Lung Transplant Patient Guide in Part I.
Another aspect of record keeping is medication lists - especially post transplant. Post transplant, you will be returning to the clinic frequently for follow-up appointments. Before you are discharged from the hospital after your transplant, you will receive a list of your medications and a daily schedule from the transplant pharmacist. This is a tremendous tool. You will be able to use this list each week when you refill your pill box. Each time you are advised to make a change in a medication, write the change in your medication list along with the date of the change so you have an accurate record.
You will need to have a list of your medications with you at each clinic visit. Consider purchasing a 3 ring notebook and a three-hole punch. Type or write your medication list on a piece of paper and keep it in the notebook and date it. This saves time in your clinic visits. You will have an ongoing record of your medications and changes and be able to track your progress. If you need to go into the hospital, consider making multiple copies of your list to give to the many doctors and nurses who will come asking what medications you are taking. This really helps with the frustrating task having to repeat all of your information over and over again.
Another good practice is to add dividers to the notebook in order to keep your daily statistics in one section, medication list history in another and spirometry records in yet another. This will also help with clinic visits and will prevent changes from getting overlooked and missed.
Always remember: the only dumb questions are the ones you don’t ask. Many times we have questions in our minds that we really want to ask, but don't because we think they are silly, unimportant, or something we should already know. There are no dumb or unimportant questions. Your questions give you a better understanding of your situation and provide you with the information you need to have greater confidence in your decision to pursue a transplant. Your questions also help you develop a stronger relationship with the transplant team and other healthcare professionals who will take care of you during this process. This issue is addressed in the Duke Lung Transplant Patient Guide in Part I.
Another aspect of record keeping is medication lists - especially post transplant. Post transplant, you will be returning to the clinic frequently for follow-up appointments. Before you are discharged from the hospital after your transplant, you will receive a list of your medications and a daily schedule from the transplant pharmacist. This is a tremendous tool. You will be able to use this list each week when you refill your pill box. Each time you are advised to make a change in a medication, write the change in your medication list along with the date of the change so you have an accurate record.
You will need to have a list of your medications with you at each clinic visit. Consider purchasing a 3 ring notebook and a three-hole punch. Type or write your medication list on a piece of paper and keep it in the notebook and date it. This saves time in your clinic visits. You will have an ongoing record of your medications and changes and be able to track your progress. If you need to go into the hospital, consider making multiple copies of your list to give to the many doctors and nurses who will come asking what medications you are taking. This really helps with the frustrating task having to repeat all of your information over and over again.
Another good practice is to add dividers to the notebook in order to keep your daily statistics in one section, medication list history in another and spirometry records in yet another. This will also help with clinic visits and will prevent changes from getting overlooked and missed.